A Thespian's Tale
by ImagoAnimos
Summary: An eccentric man claiming to be a god enters the lives of The Shepherds. His motives are ambiguous and his actions are frightening. Will Chrom and the others accept him or reject him? Will Robin consider him a helping hand or a hindrance? Will this man save the world or lead it to ruination? Find out in a Thespian's Tale.
1. Chapter 1-Thespis Awakens

**Disclaimer-The Fire Emblem series is owned by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems, not me. That being said, I guess I own Thespis, for whatever that character's worth. Anyways, check out the actual games, they're fantastic.**

 **Chapter 1-Thespis Awakens**

A shirtless man stood atop a sizable boulder, wearing a wide grin, ready for the audience to notice his presence. They didn't and the man's smile faded. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled out, "greetings mortals!" The sonorous salutation brought the four humans to attention, turning them around to bask in the man's glory. They ambled over to the boulder with varying degrees of confusion and caution. The smile had returned to his face as he spread his hands out to address the group.

"I am so delighted to see you all gathered before me today. Allow me to introduce myself." He brought a hand to his chest and took a bow. "I am Thespis: God of Masculinity, Fertility, and Prophecy." Thespis scanned the crowd finding three blank faces and one epic scowl. The god hopped down from the boulder. "And it's truly a pleasure to meet the Shepherds." He reached out a hand for the blue-haired man to take.

Said human didn't accept the humble offering and Thespis huffed in response, lowering his hand and his smile. "And here I thought that you would be more diplomatic, but no matter." Just then, the tip of a lance lowered to point straight at him.

"Milord would never be foolish enough to shake the hand of a false god, now back away this instant." Thespis glanced at the weapon before staring into the eyes of the owner. They traded glares for several seconds and the god's attitude dissolved into hysterics, laughing incessantly as he pointed at the heavily armored man.

"Hah!" He wheezed and gasped trying to speak. "This guy is great! Fantastic even! I can see why they call him Frederick the Wary," Thespis said as he pushed the lance aside. "All that armor you wear makes me think you're compensating for something." Frederick turned the lance back to him and walked closer.

"Do not insult me, knave! You're no god and my lance drawing your blood will be proof of that." The handsome knave made no visible reaction to the threat as the glowering knight inched forward. The sharp metal was nearing the god's skin, will Frederick's suspicions be correct?

"Frederick stop," a voice ordered and the lance paused. "Withdraw your weapon now."

"But milord, you cannot honestly believe this man's words."

"I don't, but attacking him is unwarranted. All he did was make a joke at your expense." Frederick narrowed his eyes at the shirtless man but backed off anyway, placing the lance back at his side. As he was no longer being threatened, Thespis walked closer to the man who had ceased the retainer's advance.

"Thanks so very much Chrom, I'm touched to see that you care about me."

"It's clear that you know who we are," Chrom replied without humoring the god.

"But of course, I said as much back on this" -he pointed behind him- "great big rock. Why wouldn't I know the prince and princess of the Halidom?"

"Wait what? Prince and princess!" A feminine voice cried out. "You said you were shepherds!" Chrom and Thespis turned to the speaker.

"And so we are" -he rubbed at the back of his neck- "in a manner of speaking. We just have a lot of-"

"Robin!" A raucous voice cried out as a bare-chested lunatic ran over to the woman and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'm so glad you're a woman!" Robin only squealed in response. "Oh, happy days!" He released his hold and stood back to examine her face. Thespis found a mix of confusion and anger. She slapped the pure, unadulterated happiness off his face.

"Back off and put a shirt on creep," Robin met his eyes. Now each member of the audience owned a different reaction. One had eyes and mouth wide open, another had a quirked eyebrow, and the last wore a characteristic scowl.

"Alright, alright. Now cool those jets, Robin." Thespis backed off even more with his arms raised in surrender. "I guess we'll have to grow more familiar in the future."

"I should hope not, you lecher!" The furious woman stepped up to him with a finger pointed in his direction. "I'm sure that I have never met a man like you in my life, so how do you know my name?"

"Well for someone with amnesia, how can you be so sure about that?"

"Just answer the damn question."

"Did you forget?" The god tapped the side of his head. "God of Prophecy and all that."

"Oh please, do you honestly expect us to believe that? Robin folded her arms. "Drop the act already."

"Then I'll prove it to you all." Thespis closed his eyes and placed a finger on both temples. "Right, okay." His eyes opened. "That town is about to be attacked by bandits." He pointed to Southtown in the distance.

"Chrom, look!" A voice cried out. "He's right!" Everyone stopped to look at the thick cloud of smoke rising above Southtown a ways off. "Come on, we have to help!" The prince, princess, and knight spared a glance at the shirtless man before speeding off in the direction of the smoke. The god and tactician stayed.

"You know, the timing of that was really on point." His smile grew as her eyes narrowed.

"More like incredibly suspect. This proves nothing. Don't follow us, you creep." She sped off in the direction of the others.

The loner stood there, uncomfortable, letting out a little "wait up" before following her.

* * *

When Thespis caught up to the others, they were all standing on the outskirts of Southtown. Frederick had mounted his horse and a girl with blonde pigtails sat behind him. Chrom was chatting with Robin as the tactician was digging through her bag with an eyebrow raised, finding several tomes.

"Looks like I know some magic," she said as she flipped through a volume on thunder magic.

"Yes, you've always had a proficiency for it," Thespis called attention to himself. "You're pretty good with a sword too."

Robin turned to look at him and narrowed her eyes. "I told you not to follow us."

"That's not up to you" Thespis smirked. He turned to the others. "Naturally, as a god, I can help out in a fight." He approached Frederick. "Maybe I'll pair up with you, Freddy Boy."

"Not a chance. I would never trust a scoundrel like you with my life." His armor clanged as the girl with pigtails hit it.

"Frederick, stop that. He is offering to help us here." The man encased in armor glared at the scoundrel before letting up.

"My apologies milady," Frederick grumbled.

"Thanks for calling off your dog there, Princess Lissa." Frederick didn't take the bait this time. Thespis turned back around to face Chrom and Robin. "Alright, shall we get a move on? The sooner we kill the thieves and murderers, the better."

"Sire, milady and I are ready." Frederick held his lance while Lissa waved her staff through the air.

"Come on Chrom! We need to hurry and save the villagers."

"Right, are you ready Robin?" Chrom asked. Robin pulled a bronze sword from her bag before giving it a swing.

"I believe so, let's go Chrom."

"Well finally! The longer we wait, the more they slaughter, so follow me!" Thespis yelled before sprinting into the burning town.

"That imbecile will get himself killed," the knight said as he watched the shirtless god leave.

"Let him," Robin replied. "He is asking for it, sprinting off into the fire like that."

"That's pretty harsh, Robin." Lissa tapped Frederick on the back. "We need to make sure he's okay."

"Lissa's right, let's follow that reckless fool and save the villagers," Chrom called out before they all entered the inferno.

* * *

When the four of them reached the marketplace of Southtown, they were treated with the view of Thespis grasping the blade of a myrmidon's sword in one hand before decking the attacker in the jaw. A body crumpled to the stone and the god shoved the bloodless blade through the myrmidon's chest. He faced the new arrivals and said: "nice of you all to join me." He pointed off in the direction of the bridge. "Chrom, you and Robin pair up and clear out the barbarian and mage before you reach the bridge. We can all regroup there."

"Milord does not follow orders from you."

"Frederick now's not the time to argue, let's go, Robin." Chrom and his pair-up ran in the direction Thespis ordered.

"Fantastic. Now Frederick, ferry Lissa around on that horse of yours so she can heal anyone who needs it. You don't need to fight today, you already have enough experience."

"Who do you-" Frederick started before a feminine voice cried out.

"Come on Frederick, Robin is hurt!" Lissa yelled as Frederick spurred his horse onward. Thespis scanned the marketplace before eyeing the axeman approaching him.

"What the hell are ya?" The barbarian asked.

"Just a humble god about to ruin your day." Thespis smiled. "There is nothing you can do to hurt me bud." He raised his arms up, inviting an attack.

The axeman scowled and charged the god. He raised his weapon and slammed it down on Thespis's shoulder. The axe glanced off of bare skin and ran down his arm. The barbarian pulled back and stared at his weapon, dumbfounded. Thespis ripped it out of his hands. With a smirk, the god kicked the man to the ground. He stood over the stunned body and brought the axe down, ending the man's pitiable life. Thespis left the weapon in the corpse and jogged over to the bridge.

When he got there, he found the Shepherds already engaged with the rest of the brigands. Chrom swiped his sword at a myrmidon only to miss as the fellow swordsman retaliated by swinging his own sword at the prince's exposed arm. Chrom grunted as the blow struck him, leaving a nasty gash behind. Before the myrmidon could press the advantage, a bolt of energy lanced through the man's body, frying him where he stood. The myrmidon collapsed.

"Thanks for the help, Robin," Chrom said as he covered his wound with his hand.

"You're welcome," Robin replied. She turned towards Frederick and Lissa. "Lissa, heal Chrom's arm and Frederick, you take care of the mage." Lissa jumped off of the horse and ran over to her brother. Frederick spurred his horse forward, charging the hostile magic-user.

"And what should I do?" Thespis asked as he walked over to the group. He stood beside Chrom and watched as the crystal at the tip of the healing staff glowed. Lissa held it over the gash and skin knitted itself back together.

"Take care of the final myrmidon," Robin ordered and Thespis gave her a thumbs up. The target was currently engaged with Frederick, along with two axe-wielding bandits. Thespis started sprinting.

A war cry was heard throughout the town and the bandits and knight all faced the source. A shirtless lunatic was barreling towards one unlucky bandit whilst screaming his lungs out.

"My life is a joke," Robin spoke under her breath. "Follow him!" She cried as they ran after the idiot. Frederick took advantage of the situation by spearing one bandit through the chest and swiping at the other.

The myrmidon gathered his bearings and readied himself, but Thespis was unstoppable. The sword glanced off of his chest and the god lifted the swordsman over his shoulder. The brute didn't stop his charge as the two of them flew over the bridge's railing into the river.

Thespis closed his eyes before the water enveloped him. He sunk about a meter before swimming upwards to the surface. He opened his eyes and spotted his enemy struggling to stay afloat.

"Can't swim, huh?" Thespis asked as he trod water. He got several quick gasps in response. "Well, catch ya later," he said as he swam towards the road. He pulled himself up out of the water and made his way back to the others.

"Fantastic job finishing off the rest of those mouth-breathers!" His tentative allies gathered in front of the church turned towards him and frowned.

"Did you take care of him?" Robin asked.

"Sure did, he should drown in about a minute," Thespis responded as he pointed his thumb behind him.

"That's cruel, even for bandits," Lissa said. All the glistening man did was smile.

"Well, what did I miss while I was taking a short dip?"

"As you can see"-Chrom said while pointing at a corpse-"we took out their leader and saved the town. Then we invited Robin into the Shepherds's ranks and she accepted." Thespis's smile grew wider after hearing that.

"Don't bother asking, Prince Chrom, I accept."

"We already discussed it, you dolt, you aren't invited," Robin said as she scowled at him. The god's face dropped.

"Wait, what?"

"Robin is correct, I'm afraid we will not extend the same invitation to you," Chrom explained.

"You can't be serious! A god is offering his help and you turn it down." He laughed hysterically. "It is not supposed to be this way! You have no idea how much I can help you." He narrowed his eyes at the group.

"Maybe so," Chrom replied. "But judging from your actions and behavior, it wouldn't be wise to trust you with the lives of my comrades."

"I am literally immortal!" A finger shot out towards a grinning knight. "Frederick! Stab me with that lance of yours and see."

"Milord?"

"No Frederick, leave him. We need to hurry to the Capital." Just then, a villager ran outside the church to meet Prince Chrom.

"Milord, please! You must stay the night!" The villager pleaded. "We are simple folk of simple means, but we would gladly toast your valor with a feast!"

"A most generous offer, sir, and no doubt your hospitality would be grand," Frederick said. "But I'm afraid we must hurry back to Ylisstol." Thespis fumed as this exchange played out. His eyes twitched until he focused his sight on Robin and scowled. She flipped him the bird in response. The god trudged toward her but the knight stepped in his way.

"Move Freddy. I am joining the Shepherds."

"No, you are not," Freddy said with a smug grin.

"Just try to save the exalt without me then." The smug grin disappeared.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" The knight ground the words out. They traded glares and the world froze.

"Frederick, come on, we're leaving!" Chrom yelled.

"Follow us and you die," Frederick the Wary declared before turning around and catching up with the other Shepherds.

"Fine. Have fun with the Risen!" He balled his fists and stomped his foot. "Dammit," the god swore under his breath. He waddled over to the villager. "Is that feast still on?"

* * *

 **Authors Note: And that was Chapter 1 of this story. For some reason I don't understand, the story got corrupted so I had to fix and reupload it. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed the 1st chapter and all comments are welcome. Seeya later!**


	2. Chapter 2-Thespis Makes a Deal

**Chapter 2-Thespis Makes a Deal**

Unfortunately, the village wasn't willing to throw a feast for one man and no amount of whining on his part could change that. And thus, the God of Masculinity, Fertility, and Prophecy was left begging the local barkeep for food.

"Please, please, please just help me out." The barkeep didn't react. "I haven't eaten anything today! And killing bandits really works up an appetite." The barkeep shook his head and Thespis dropped his head to the counter.

"Not that I know any, but I don't think immortal beings have to eat. Either way, I don't appreciate you barging in here and begging for food," the bartender said. "You'll have to pay like the rest of the customers."

"Fine," the god rasped through gritted teeth. Then Thespis lumbered up onto the counter before clapping his hands. "May I have everyone's attention!" The three other patrons turned to look at him. "I'll buy a round of whatever alcohol you drink around here if one of you can beat me in a fistfight. But, if I win, the loser has to buy me dinner." He turned to look at the menu above the bartender's frowning face. "That venison and vegetable soup sounds edible. Well, any takers?" The patrons were too busy downing their alcohol to care.

"Get down from there!" The bartender pulled on Thespis's arm, but the god didn't budge. "I won't have you advertising your personal fight club in my bar." Thespis ripped his arm out of the man's hand and jumped down from the counter.

"What about you? Think you can take me?" He asked the unfortunate barkeep.

"I am not accepting a bet from a man with no money, now get out of here."

"Fine!" Thespis yelled while balling his fists. "I was going to leave this backwater town anyways. Tell me how I can get to Ylisstol." The barkeep looked at him incredulously.

"Just take the north road out of town." Thespis turned around and plodded towards the door. "Please don't come back!" The barkeep yelled after the god.

"Please get raided by bandits again!" Thespis shouted back before the door to the tavern shut behind him. He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. Then he started walking.

The sun was setting as the god took the north road out of town.

* * *

The childish god had been walking for hours. Unfortunately for him, he did not find food along the way, so he was left to endure the pain of an empty stomach. Trees lined the road and the only sound to accompany Thespis's footsteps was the rustling of leaves and the occasional grumbling of his belly. Thespis trudged along, each step seeming to amplify his growing fatigue. He yawned and closed his eyes.

"Don't tell me I need to sleep too," the god said mid-yawn. Thespis opened his eyes and rubbed the sleep out of them. He stopped when he noticed a little orange light flickering off in the distance. Thespis's eyes widened as he picked up the pace. He started sprinting and the light grew larger as he approached. When he got close enough, he made out a campfire and someone sitting on a blanket next to it. The god's smile was growing as he slowed down to approach the blanket's resident. She had red hair tied into a ponytail, an impish smile, and a surplus of items sprawled out in front of her.

"Anna!" Thespis said.

"Got it in one," she responded with a wink. "How can I help you?"

"Well, I'm not sure you can help, but... " He trailed off as he picked up the scent of something heavenly. A wonderful aroma was coming from a pot hanging above the fire. She noticed him staring at the pot and stood up.

"You like the smell? It's an old Anna family recipe." She lifted the cover of the pot and beckoned him closer. "Take a look." Thespis's mouth watered as he looked into the pot. A pot roast was cooking inside. Carrots and potatoes embraced a monstrous slab of beef and the smell of the broth caressed the god's senses. He licked his lips and pushed his face closer. However, Anna stole the culinary beauty away by slamming the cover back down.

"So do you want some?" Thespis could only nod in his dazed state. Her grin grew. "It'll have to cost you, of course."

"But I don't have any money," Thespis whined as he reached for the cover of the pot. His hand was slapped away before he could snatch it.

"Then it looks like I have the whole pot roast to myself," Anna said. She sat back down and huffed. "It's such a shame that most of it will go to waste," Thespis smirked and turned towards her.

"I know how your family works," he said. Anna raised a brow at that. "How about we make a deal?" She leaned towards him.

"What did you have in mind?" She asked. The god sat down on the blanket next to her.

"Well, seeing as you're traveling this terribly violent world on your own," Thespis started. "I'm sure a lovely lady like yourself could use a steadfast protector. I suggest none other than myself." The lovely lady rested a finger on her chin.

"I've survived this long on my own," she responded. "I don't think you can offer me very much, to be completely honest."

"See, that's where you're wrong, my frugal friend." He thrust a thumb towards himself. "You're looking at the God of Masculinity, Fertility, and Prophecy."

Anna started laughing and slapped her knee. "That's rich, but you're out of luck if you think I haven't heard that one before." Thespis only frowned.

"You're joking."

"You'd be surprised in this line of work." She responded. Thespis sighed as he pinched his nose.

"Look, I can prove it to you. Just try to cut me with one of your swords." He suggested.

Anna didn't hesitate as she stood up with a bronze blade in her right hand. Thespis held out his arm and she raised the blade above her head before chopping down. The blade reached the skin and bounced back, vibrating so much that Anna dropped the sword. Her eyes widened as she looked down to find the smug god grinning up at her.

"Wait, what?" She asked. "I swung as hard as I could!" She reached down to examine the blade that failed to cut him.

"And there you go, what did I tell you?" He grabbed the sword and tried to carve a cut in his other arm. "Weapons don't hurt me, I'm invulnerable." Anna didn't respond, instead, she handed the man a bowl and pointed towards the pot. "Wonderful!" He dished himself some stew and turned back towards her. "Pleasure doing business with you Anna, you won't regret your decision." He winked.

Anna pulled a dagger from her belt and tried pushing it into his back. Thespis sat there spooning stew into his mouth. "Whatcha doing back there?" He asked.

"Don't mind me, I'm just testing the quality of the product." She tried a lance this time.

"Test away, Red." He shoveled some more stew into his mouth. "Mmm, this stuff is fantastic! No regrets whatsoever."

"I'm starting to think that you got the short end of the stick." She said as she hefted an axe above her head. "I get an invulnerable helper and you get stew. Regardless of how great the stew is, that was a bad deal on your part." She brought the axe down on his head. The impact made him spill his food.

"Watch it Red! Just accept that I'm invulnerable. Some people are trying to eat here." He tipped the edge of the bowl against his lips and drank the rest of the contents. He rubbed his hairy arm across his chin to clean up the dribble of broth. "And nah, accompanying a lovely lady _and_ getting some tasty food, what else could a guy ask for?"

Anna sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're not going to tell me who or what you actually are, right?" She asked. Thespis shook his head and placed the bowl down on the ground.

"Look, Anna, if we're going to be working together, we've got to trust each other." He stood up and placed an arm on her shoulder. "You trust me, right?" She narrowed her eyes before slapping away his hand. He smiled. "Well, I'll be able to prove it when the earthquake hits, oh and the lava and fire, and the risen too." He listed them off on his fingers.

"What?" Anna shrieked. "Lava and an earthquake? How do you even know this?"

"God of Prophecy and all that." He turned around and stretched his arms out. "Now hurry up and pack up all your crap."

The God of Prophecy and all that heard Anna huff behind him. "It's not crap," she muttered. An orchestra of metals clashing and banging played out behind Thespis. "Done!" The god turned around and his eyes widened. Anna had a smug smile and held her hands on her hips. Everything that was spread out across the ground seconds ago had disappeared.

"Wait, what? Where did everything go?" He asked. The saleswoman winked at him and smacked the backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Anna family secret." She smiled at him before walking past the stunned god. Thespis stood there for three seconds and jogged to catch up. "Just so you know, I don't fully trust you, it's just better to be safe than sorry." Anna frowned. "So how exactly does the forest catch on fire?"

"Ancient evil dragon and time travel. No biggie." The god frowned as he looked at the redhead. "Also, let me know if you see any blue-haired princes in mortal danger. We're going to join the Shepherds."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hey again. It's been quite a while, but I'm a lazy human being, so this is pretty typical of me. Anyways, here's Chapter 2 and I hope you all enjoy. Also, l am going to do the thing where I respond to comments because it seems fun.**

 **Guest 1-Don't worry my friend, Thespis is not a villain or anti-hero, he's just a whiny loser with more power than he knows what to do with.**

 **Guest 2-Thanks, hope you continue to enjoy the story.**


	3. Chapter 3-Thespis Runs for His Life

**Chapter 3-Thespis Runs for His Life**

In the middle of the woods, a shirtless fool declared that he and his employer were going to join the Shepherds. His employer, Anna, crossed her arms and stopped walking. "Join the Shepherds?" She asked. "I don't know."

"You're worried about that and not the whole world-ending monster?" Thespis questioned.

"Well, the end of the world is pretty typical with gods around." She smiled at him. "Besides, the apocalypse is a good money-making opportunity." Thespis walked past her and she followed.

"God, you really only think of money." Thespis murmured. "But just think, joining the Shepherds makes you their sole purveyor of practically everything a small army could want."  
"True, true," Anna responded and rested her finger on her chin. "I'll think about it." She walked ahead of Thespis again. "Just don't forget who works for who here. At the end of the day, I say what we do. Just escort me to Ylisse for now."

"Fine, boss." He bowed. "Your wish is my command." Just then, the ground beneath the god started shaking, causing him to fall flat onto his face. The merchant chuckled at this display before Thespis jumped back to his feet. His eyes were wide. "This is bad, we need to move now!"

"Is this your earthquake? It doesn't seem like-" Anna was cut off by a giant sphere of molten lava impacting the ground beside her. She flinched away and nearly fell before her employee caught her. "Okay, let's run. The two of them started sprinting as fast as they could. Smoke was rising overhead as the vast sea of trees surrounding them ignited. Behind the pair, the earth shot into the sky, jutting out at a harsh angle towards them. Molten lava started flowing out from the crack that the makeshift cliff created. Anna turned behind and screamed, "how is this happening? The ground beneath us is being torn apart!"

"I don't know the specifics!" Thespis was panting the words. "Just keep running!" The ground beneath them growled with each passing second and the pair were beginning to slow down. Just then, the path in front of them ripped in two, scarring the landscape with a seemingly bottomless chasm. They skidded to a stop, both of them were out of breath. Anna dropped her pack and looked as if she was about to collapse. Thespis had his hands on his knees and kept breathing heavily, every inch of his body was covered in sweat. He looked around with wide eyes and saw a river of lava approaching from the rear, with forest engulfed in flames on each side. At this point, the chasm was too wide to jump across so their options were limited. The god ran over to pick up the shopkeeper's backpack and turned towards her. "I know this is the worst thing ever, but it's going to get worse if we don't get moving." He pointed towards the trees. "We need to go through the forest and find somewhere that we can cross!" Anna tried to catch her breath and nodded. They sprinted off the path into a sea of flame.

* * *

Thespis's eyes watered and his lungs screamed from the smoke. The smoldering heat was suffocating and it took an enormous amount of willpower to keep running. The intense crackling from the flames made it difficult to communicate so the god had to yell. "You still with me Red?" He couldn't hear a response. "Anna!" A group of rasping coughs gave him an answer. "We're going to make it through this!" He attempted to reassure her but his swaying movements betrayed his words, he was lightheaded.

"Thespis get down!" The dizzy man fell forward, barely missing the ball of flame that soared over his head. Anna caught up to him and kneeled down, helping by lifting him back to his feet.

"Thanks." He wheezed out the words. They began to run again and fortunately, it wasn't long before they found a way to cross the chasm. A tree had fallen across the ravine, producing a makeshift bridge. "I see a way to cross!" He called out and ran over to the roots that had been ripped from the ground. He used the roots as grips and climbed onto the trunk, a cursory stomp tested its strength. Anna reached the tree-bridge.

"I'm not crossing that bridge! There is no way it's safe." Anna scanned the area around her but there wasn't anywhere else to go. Flame and lava kept creeping closer to their position.

"We gotta move now! If we don't cross, then we will die." He thrust a hand down towards the redhead. She bit her lip but eventually relented, letting herself be pulled up. "I'll go first so that if it breaks, I'll die and you won't." Thespis spread his arms out and slowly put one foot in front of their other. His balance was shaky, but his eyes stayed fixated on the other end of the tree. Eventually, he made it across and he jumped back down to terra firma. He cupped his hands and yelled, "slowly walk across and don't look down!" On the other side of the ravine, Anna was shaking and hyperventilating on whatever oxygen was left in the air. She looked towards the shirtless man on the other end and slowly stepped forward. The bridge held. She took another step, swaying a little to the left before balancing out. A few more steps and she wobbled, causing her to look down. A mere tree was separating her from the pitch-black void leading straight to Hell and she stopped. "You're over halfway there!" Thespis tried to encourage her. " Just take a deep breath."

"I can't…" She responded with her eyes glued to the nightmare down below. She couldn't stop shivering, despite the intense heat from the flames creeping up behind her. The wood of the tree caught fire and the smell of smoke shook her awake.

"Faster!" She walked forwards, at a much faster pace than earlier. However, her hastiness caused her to trip and tumble off the side of the tree trunk. She screamed and Thespis cried "Anna!" The god jumped towards the edge of the chasm and reached for the falling shopkeeper. Before Anna descended into the abyss, a strong hand gripped her wrist. Its owner grunted and said "I'll pull you up" through gritted teeth and pulled her up. The redhead climbed up onto solid ground and Thespis fell onto his back. The sweating man was aching all over and even movement of his fingers was difficult. He tried to catch his breath, but his breath got caught when a golden sigil high above him materialized and lit up the night sky, along with the clearing he now found himself in. "Oh God no," he whispered as undead soldiers swam through the pupil of the eye in the center of the sigil.

"What are those things?" Anna was back on her feet. Thespis sat up, watching as the monsters flopped to the ground.

"They're Risen, reanimated corpses of warriors." He stood up, cracking his neck. "Somehow, they still know how to use weapons. And if that wasn't bad enough, it'll take more than a couple of slices from a sword to put them down. Don't stop fighting until they disintegrate into purple gas." His eyes were glued to the floating eye. "Let's just hope those aren't the only things coming through that portal." The shopkeeper walked over and took her backpack from Thespis.

"Got it. Just keep stabbing, easy enough." Anna reached into her bag and pulled out a sword shaped like a lightning bolt. The pale blade crackled with energy as she gripped the hilt. The redhead gave the sword a few swings before spinning the Levin sword behind her, now using a reverse grip.

"Holy shit Red," Thespis said with a wide smile on his face. "That was so awesome!"

"I try," Anna responded with a smirk. She gave him a signature wink, but once she noticed the Risen hobble towards them, her face set into a scowl. "There's three of them, all carrying axes." Thespis looked towards the enemies in the clearing, two were grouped up to the left as the third was straight ahead. The sigil and portal in the sky disappeared and the god sighed.

"Looks like it's just us then." He frowned. "But that doesn't seem right."

"Of course it's just us, now take this." Anna was holding out an iron axe for him. He took it with a thanks. "This'll be a good test, you take the two on the left and I'll take the one in front," Anna directed.

"Gotcha," Thespis affirmed. The redhead ran off after a nod, quickly closing the distance between Thespis and the disgusting axe-wielder. The monster rose it's axe high with one arm and chopped downwards. Anna spun around the attack and swiped at the undead corpse's leg mid-spin. Electricity leaped from the blade into the gash and ran up the risen's leg. The risen fell forward and Anna jumped behind it, spinning the sword back into a forward grip. She stabbed through the risen's back and its head spun around on a swivel to stare at her. The agile shopkeeper shrieked and jumped back, almost losing her grip on her Levin sword.

"By the way, their heads spin around!" Thespis shouted. "Kinda like owls, actually."

"You should've warned me earlier!" Anna yelled back as she regained her footing. At the same time, the god was sizing up his opponents. The risen were stalking towards him, each breath they took expelled a purple miasma from their mouths. They stood side by side and both freaks of nature were taller than Thespis. The one on the right had a limp in it's right leg and the other wore a mask that hung off it's face, left attached by a thin strand of sallow skin. Thespis nearly threw up when he saw the mess of decaying muscles and bone hiding behind the mask.

"Okay, it's about time that I kill you abominations." The god ran towards the one with the hanging mask and made an overhead swing angled towards the monster's neck. The blow landed but got caught in the risen's shoulder. Thespis tried to wrench the axe free but it was obstructed by bone and sinew. The axe eventually came free, tearing through tissue and flesh, but it took the risen push kicking Thespis back to do it. The sheer force of the kick sent the shirtless man stumbling back, but he barely kept his footing. Thespis growled and charged at the risen, once again attempting an overhead swing at it's neck. The undead soldier grappled with the pole of the infuriated man's axe, holding it up and away from it's neck. The red eyes of the beast flared up before Thespis. The deep, guttural wheezing the risen made sounded as if it was laughing at him. Thespis screamed and stepped forward, putting all of his weight into the axe he was holding. Just then, an axe from behind slammed down on the god's shoulder, pushing him down to one knee. Thespis lost his grip on the axe, but he grinned.

"You'll have to do more than that to put me down." He hopped to the side to create some distance. "Your sorry excuse for weapons won't do anything to me. Just disintegrate and save us all some time, why don't you?" Thespis squared up and balled his fists. The risen soldier with the limp shuffled towards him and let out a long moan. The god started with a jab to it's stomach, which didn't even make the monster flinch. Thespis scowled and threw a haymaker and it similarly didn't appear to damage the beast. The risen rose it's axe and was about to send it crashing down, but Thespis kicked at the soldier's limp, causing it to lose it's footing. With that, the god tackled the creature, sending the pair of them to the ground. The risen lost it's axe in the tumble and Thespis grabbed it while straddling the beast's chest. The enemy struggled to get up, trying to punch the man off of him. However, one great two-handed chop split the risen's head in two. The monster stopped moving and slowly evaporated with Thespis on top of it. Thespis got back up, but before he could turn to his final opponent, a wooden pole came from behind and was pulled up against the god's throat. The other risen was holding the pole of it's axe on both sides of the shirtless man's head. It was pulling the weapon towards it's body and upwards, lifting the Thespis up off his feet. The god began kicking and punching as his vision swam. When the squirming failed, he tried to push away the axe to let himself breathe. The risen was stronger than him and Thespis could do nothing but gasp and choke as his sight grew dark and blotchy. His wide eyes betrayed his previous bravado and his arms fell to the side. Just as he was about to pass out, Thespis collapsed limply to the ground, coughing and reaching for his throat. He was gasping for air as he struggled to stay awake.

Once his vision finally cleared up, the surprised god searched desperately for the undead corpse that had nearly killed him. He found nothing in his near area, no bodies, only some axes. However, his eyes caught sight of metal that was reflecting the glints of moonlight at him. He crawled towards the item and found a lonesome arrow, sprinkled with gore. He lifted the arrow up and inspected it. In the middle of the shaft was a small capsule, attached by a red string and tied in a little bow. He untied the knot and threw the arrow away after taking the capsule. Thespis uncapped the container and poured a rolled-up piece of paper into his hand. He unrolled the paper and read the only words written on it-'you're welcome' followed with a smiley face in the bottom right corner. The god looked up from the note and scanned the forest, trying to find the person that saved his life. He couldn't see anyone between the dying flames and thinning smoke.

"Nice job taking those two out," Anna said as approached from behind. Thespis jumped a little and shoved the paper and capsule into his pocket before turning around.

"Wait, did you not see the fight?" He asked, surprised. "Or even hear it?"

"Nope, but I wish I could've. Would've been interesting watching an immortal fight." Thespis chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, looking off to the side.

"Thanks, but it's really not all that special."

"Well you took down two in good time, so it seems like this is a pretty good deal." Anna smiled at him before walking around the area and collecting the discarded weapons. Thespis sighed and said nothing. When the merchant was done, she hopped up and declared "now let's get to sleep! I'll lay out some sleeping rolls and get the fire started." Anna dug into her backpack and pulled out two rolls and asked Thespis to unroll them. He did so as the redhead kept dropping pieces of wood into a pile. Thespis stopped to stare at her as she pulled out a red tome, opened it, and said the word "fire" as the woodpile ignited. He jumped back with his eyes wide.

"How did you do that?" He asked. Anna raised an eyebrow at him.

"It's magic, dummy. It's one of the simplest spells." Thespis crouched down next to her and watched the flames. The woman beside him reached into her backpack once again and pulled out some containers filled with water. She passed one to him and told him to drink. He stared down at the container.

"So, how does your bag fit all of this stuff in it?" He inquired. After all, it was seemingly endless from the impossible number of things she seemed to have in it.

"Take a guess," Anna smirked at the god, causing him to sigh.

"Magic." The redhead chuckled at his response. She took a long gulp of water and sat back on her sleeping roll. Anna yawned and fell back to lie down.

"As your boss, I order you to take the first watch." The merchant said as she closed her eyes. "Just wake me up whenever you feel like you're about to pass out."

Thespis was silent as he sat on his sleeping roll. It took a little while, but when his boss started snoring he pulled out the note and stared at it. The confused god looked over the small piece of paper for anything he may have missed but the only things he could find were two words and a scribbled smiley face. He rolled the note up and placed it back into the capsule, pocketing it. Once again, he looked towards the forest for any sign of his savior and found nothing. Thespis frowned and watched the light of dawn creep over the scarred trees of the forest.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Here we are, Chapter 3. I hope you guys enjoy reading Thespis risking his life and getting upset, I know I do. Seems like the poor guy isn't as strong as he thought. That's too bad, guess we'll see how he handles things when they get worse. No new comments on the story so I won't be responding to any now. Have a good one readers!**


End file.
